"I was praying," she said hours afterward, after being released from the hospital for a precautionary checkup. "I thought I might die. The road just washed away."

The bridge collapsed at about 5 a.m. Wednesday as Shannon was driving to work. After the initial shock, and with water racing by her, she climbed to the driver-side door and sat on it, trying to stay above the surging water. Nearby utilities workers spotted her headlights and rushed to her aid, throwing a rope to her, which she held onto as they pulled her to safety.

"God is good," Shannon's mother said hours after the collapse, when the family went to look at the scene. "It could have been so much worse."

The Escalade was still tilted in the creek, as water from Jones Swamp rushed over it.

The vehicle was not a big concern. Shannon has full coverage.

"I'm just thankful that I'm alive."

Nearby, bystanders surveyed the destruction. Many came out in pajamas, dogs in tow, and filmed the bridge collapse with smartphones.

"I've never seen rain like this before," said Brandy Tran, a Warrington resident who came out with her four children to see the damage. "I've lived here for years. Even Hurricane Ivan didn't damage the roads like this. It's crazy. It's just unreal."

Said a slackjawed Casey Brown, watching as the water roared through: "The road is gone. That's all I can say, 'The road is just gone.' I'm just thankful there weren't kids going across there when it happened."